FDA warns parents not to give honey to babies

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns parents not to give honey to their babies. The warning comes after four babies in Texas developed botulism after being exposed to the treat.

All four, who were not related, had received lollipops containing honey and had been purchased in Mexico. However, the FDA points out, similar products can be purchased in the United States from online retailers. All babies required hospitalization for what the FDA called "life-saving treatment."

Botulism is a rare but serious disease caused by a toxin that attacks the body's nerves, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms usually begin with weak muscles that control the eyes, face, mouth, and throat, and can spread to the neck, arms, torso, and legs. Botulism can also weaken the muscles involved in breathing, which makes the disease particularly dangerous.

Botulism can be caused by many sources, including low acid canned foods, wound infection, and contact with certain bacteria in the soil and dust, the CDC says. However, honey can also contain the bacteria responsible for infant botulism, which occurs when spores enter the digestive tract, grow and produce the toxin.

According to infectious disease expert Amesh Adalja, a doctor at the Johns Hopkins Health Center, honey could be administered to children over one year old. At this point, children have developed other types of bacteria in their digestive tract to prevent botulism bacteria from growing and producing toxin.

Experts say this warning should not be a novelty for parents. "As a pediatrician, you are supposed to remind parents not to give honey before the age of 1," says Gina Posner, pediatrician at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, at Yahoo Lifestyle. "I also recommend that all caregivers know that they can not eat honey. It's a real risk.

"Botulism is dangerous for everyone, but babies are more likely to get honey," Adalja says.

If your baby accidentally eats honey – maybe a well-intentioned grandparent gave it to him or gave him a lollipop before you realized what was in it – do not panic not. "All babies who ingest honey will not develop botulism," says Adalja.

Nor is there any "doctor that can do to prevent botulism from developing," says Posner. Instead, watch for your baby and look for signs of weakness in his muscles or crying. "If they seem to get sick, be sure to inform the doctor that your baby may have ingested honey," says Adalja. Botulism is treated with antitoxins, which prevent botulism toxin from causing more damage, says the CDC. However, this does not reverse the damage already done. "Prevention is crucial," says Posner.

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